Emily Morse ’21 is primed for success in the computer science industry because of the many SUNY Potsdam alumni who dedicate time and resources to the computer science department. This summer, Morse took part in a remote internship with the Griffiss Institute and the Air Force Research Laboratory, made possible by her connections with alumni and support from a generous scholarship established by Haden Land ’84.
In four years, alumna Laura Wessing graduated summa cum laude with a double major in computer science and mathematics, as well as getting a master’s degree in math through the BA / MA program. In that time, she completed three internships, two of which were with the U.S. Air Force. Now she leads the quantum algorithms team at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y.—overseeing complex research on quantum bits.
Hard work and networking have paid dividends for computer science major Eric Zair ’20. A brief encounter with alumnus Garry Griggs ’17 as an undergraduate student paved the way for a paid internship over the summer at Assured Information Security, a cybersecurity contracting company in Rome, N.Y. That internship gave him real-world experience and allowed him to take what he had learned in the classroom and apply it in a professional setting.
Hack Potsdam is a 24-hour student-run hackathon where people meet to engage in collaborative computer programming by working one project with a team for the duration of the event. Hack Potsdam is free and open to all matriculated students over 18, alumni and professors. The event is held at Clarkson in the spring and at SUNY Potsdam in the fall.
